Interactive effects of AI awareness and change-oriented leadership on employee-AI collaboration: The role of approach and avoidance motivation

AI application has been met with great concern in the hospitality field given its efficacy enhancement but threats to employee tasks and jobs. This study investigates the interactive impacts between AI awareness and change-oriented leadership on hospitality employees' protective behaviors, including whether and how the interactions influence employees’ collaboration with AI. A two-wave survey of hotel employees and an experiment of potential hotel practitioners were conducted with 478 and 252 valid respondents respectively. Empirical results show how the interactions predicted employee-AI collaboration via the two motivation types of approach and avoidance, as per protection motivation theory (PMT). The results offer change-oriented leadership as a coping strategy for employees to overcome perceived AI threats and engage in active collaboration with AI. In addition, the study reveals the positive role of AI awareness in embracing change and discusses the theoretical contributions and practical implications of AI-adopted hospitality.